Return of a Hero
by Kazuma Prime
Summary: Paul vows revenge against Ash after a string of losses, Wes and Rui's purpose in Pallet is revealed, but what do they have to tell Ash? And what is it that Ash promised to Dawn many years ago? PEARLSHIPPING HIATUS
1. The Last Remaining Purpose

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Ash: 19

Dawn: 17

Misty: 20

Brock: 22

May: 17

Drew: 18

Paul: 18

Gary: 19

Jimmy: 20

Marina: 20

Rudy: 21

Lance: 25

Cissy: 23

Melody: 19

Orre, summer evening

It was a calm, peaceful, moon-filled night in the far off region of the deserted wasteland. All was calm until a roar and a burst of flame pierced the darkness. A large orange dragon, covered in numerous battle scars flew amongst the large boulders and blasted several to pieces. It soared up to a high cliff and landed. It was a Charizard, but was nearly twice as big as a normal human. It folded its wings inward as the fire-dragon encircled the campsite. One older teenaged boy, his bag and his longsword surrounded a campfire. The young man was wearing black fingerless gloves, a black t-shirt, dark blue jeans, black and white sneakers, and a black jean jacket. He was lean and muscular, at around 6'0", could hold his own in a fight. At his side was a somewhat large orange and white electric mouse, a Raichu. His ebony hair was spiked and much longer, Ash having put a good portion of it into a ponytail that went down to his neck. He bore a single, long scar across his right eye that ran from his hairline down to his chin, with another cutting across his left cheek from his nose to his jawbone. His brown eyes looked into the fire, a dark countenance housing his facial features. Glancing down at his old pal, he pet his first Pokemon and smiled sadly as he leaned back on his most powerful ally and closed his eyes. His name was Ash Ketchum.

_5 years…has it really been that long? It's been 5 long, years since my life went to hell, and then some. I was right in the middle of the Sinnoh League when I heard what I feared most, only in my worst nightmares did I even dream of it. Team Rocket had gone to my hometown and wreaked havoc. Prof. Oak, Tracey, I don't know how many others were caught in the attack. The professor's lab was hardest hit, probably on account of it being the one place with the most Pokemon. So many people died, even my only family in the world, minus my friends. And it's my fault…all my fault. I couldn't let them get rid of me themselves, not when I was so weak. I still remember what Misty said to me…_

_"If you had just beat them from the very beginning, this wouldn't have happened!"_

_And then what Gary said…_

_"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT HE'S GONE! IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU! DAMN YOU!!!"_

_Everyone had a reason to hate me for bringing THEM to Pallet. If I had known they were capable of that…still…I am strong now. My only purpose left now in this world…is one of revenge. And I WILL get what I have so longed for. I won't let ANYONE stand in my way. Death to all those who oppose me!_

Ash smirked at this. If Dawn could see him now…if ANY of them could see him now. Charizard spoke up, Ash having learned the ability to communicate with any Pokemon.

(So…tomorrow we do it?) He asked.

"Yeah, tomorrow…" the trainer replied.

He looked down at Raichu. After Ash left everyone the night following the funerals for all the victims, Pikachu decided to change along with his trainer. Thus he did something he swore he'd never do, he evolved. Though he did swear he'd never change, secretly he made a promise that if Ash were to change, then so would he, even if there was no going back. Ash trained day and night for 3 years, gaining experience and one new Pokemon. He had snuck Totodile and Sceptile out with him, and Charizard followed after learning Ash was leaving. Together, all 4 came across Pidgeot, who was rejected from its clan by another, strong Pidgeot. All five, with the addition of one new member, trained until they learned all new moves, and 3 of them changing. Though some retained their old attitudes, others like Raichu adopted the cold sense of battle, following in their trainer's footsteps. Ash had learned how to use a sword, which he carried with him at all times. Suddenly, Pidgeot landed before Ash.

"What is it?" he inquired.

(It looks like some of our old allies are headed to Pallet Town, as are some of your rivals and enemies) the bird Pokemon chirped.

(Looks like we're gonna be fighting tomorrow, doesn't it?) Raichu spoke without opening his eyes.

"Looks like it. Let's get some sleep, Sceptile you're on guard duty," Ash commanded, flinging his Pokeball, releasing the grass-type.

(Understood) Sceptile replied, disappearing.

_Tomorrow's gonna be one HELL of a day…_

In Pallet Town

It was a star-filled night, brightly lit by a full moon. A raven haired girl, wearing a pink mini-skirt, a dark blue and white sleeveless top, pink boots was walking along the path, alongside her was her starter Pokemon, Prinplup. Sometime after the disappearance of her secret crush, her Piplup evolved. It was strong, which was why she had won the Grand Festival in both Kanto and Johto. She would have won in Sinnoh, but after Team Rocket attacked Sinnoh, she and her mother were forced to flee to Kanto. Since then, she had lived in a small village between Pewter City and Cerulean City, the two cities that _his _old friend's lived. She hadn't heard from neither Brock nor Misty in awhile and was starting to wonder.

Turning a corner, her eyes soon gazed upon an old, lonely house…the Ketchum residence. Walking closer to it, she noticed that Gary and some of the others still managed to keep it looking decent. Gone were the old occupants. Ash's mother was assumed dead in the attack 5 years ago, and the Mr. Mime that lived there was also gone. As for the young boy, she hadn't seen him in 5 years. In those 5 years, many things had changed. Brock had finally met a girl that didn't reject him and they had been going steady for at least 2 years now, though she was a few years younger than him. Misty was going out with some guy from the Orange Islands who had moved to Cerulean after a tsunami had caused massive death and destruction in the archipelago. There were a few she hadn't heard from in over 3 years, namely May Maple. The last Dawn heard, May was with some Drew character and they were traveling in the Fiore region. That is, until tomorrow.

Dawn had gotten word from Gary that he was calling any trainers that knew or met Ash Ketchum, to return to Pallet Town for a reunion. She was a bit excited, as there would be battles amid the partying and reunions. Gary Oak was one person she kept in contact with quite a lot. She knew that Gary was an old rival, and an old friend of Ash's. After Prof. Oak passed away, Gary rebuilt the lab and took over, majoring in Pokemon research just like his grandfather. Gary acquired a great deal more land than his grandfather did, a special area being built just for Ash's Pokemon. This was everyone's hope that he would return one day. As she gazed up at the stars, Dawn noticed a small black shape that was quickly moving across the night's sky.

"Hm? What's that?" she said aloud.

"Prin?"

"Looks like a Pokemon, but its too dark to see. Must be a Noctowl, maybe Ash's…" she said, trailing off at the end.

_Ash…where in the WORLD are you? Please…come back to us…to me…_she thought to herself.

The Pokemon quickly sped back from the direction it came, a faint boom heard in the distance as it went supersonic. It was in fact Pidgeot, and it flew off to the north to let Ash know about what it saw; a large group of rogue Shadow Trainers that were descending from the Orre region mountains, just to the north of Kanto.

Orre North Desert

"You're sure Pidge?" Ash asked.

(Yeah, there are at least 10 of them, maybe more. If it was even a little darker out, I might have seen them better. This whole moonlit night makes it too hard for me to see) Pidgeot replied.

Ash smiled slightly, stroking his wing feathers. "Don't worry about it buddy, it's not you're fault. By the sound of it, they're still 6 hours away and you made it back here in about 30 minutes. That means we have 4 hours to sleep and one hour to get ready, then another 30 minutes to get to Pallet and at least another 15 before those creeps bust up whatever they're going for, which you said was some kind of party?"

(That's right)

(Heh, looks like we ALL get some fun tomorrow.) Charizard grinned.

Ash nodded as he lay down. "Rai, make sure you wake me in about 4 hours."

Raichu nodded as it took over guard duty, letting Sceptile get some well-deserved rest. In addition to speed and power, Raichu had amazing endurance, able to use a bit of its electric energy to keep it going for up to 4 days straight, but on the downside it needed a full 24 hours to recharge to max power.

_So she's still around…Dawn…_ Ash thought as he drifted off to sleep.

In Pallet Town

Dawn was in dark blue shorts and matching cami as she lay under the covers, looking at the moon through the window of the hotel that her and her mother were using. Most of everyone had checked into Pallet by this time, unaware of the danger, and surprise that was heading straight for them tomorrow.

_Ash…please be ok…wherever you are…I miss you…_She thought, her mind drifting off to sleep, but not before a single tear slid down her cheek.

Well, my first chapter went pretty well. I'll try to update soon, as I don't want this fic to die off like my past stories. Anyway, R&R please. Oh and don't bother flaming. Flames will be used to roast weenies. Thank you.


	2. Along With My Home

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.

**Orre, Northern Desert Mountains**

As the sunrise peaked over the distant horizon, Ash slowly arose and stretched his limbs. His eyes shot open and he grabbed his sword and jumped over the cliff. He landed on the slope and slid down before jumping to the ground and began doing his morning exercises. He slashed and whirled his blade around, making sure he was always on the ready for whatever might come his way. Sceptile, Charizard, Pidgeot, and Raichu sped off in 4 different directions, looking for food. Ash had trained them well, making sure that their defense, attack, speed, and endurance where unlike any other Pokemon. After an hour of intense training, the young man yelled out and slammed his blade through a rock, causing it to break in two from top to bottom, creating a small dust cloud. Sheathing his weapon, he jumped back up onto the cliff as the others arrived back. Ash noted the little forage they were able to bring back, smiling slightly.

"Don't worry, this'll get us by till we get back into Kanto. It's nice to finally be leaving this dirt hole," he said, the others agreeing with him.

After all four had eaten their small fill, Ash looked up at the position of the sun, noting it was still very early in the morning. "Good, we've got just enough time to make it back to Pallet and get freshened up there at home. Pidgeot, you're sure no one knows we'll be coming?" he inquired.

(Yeah, you're house is as good as deserted) Pidgeot chirped.

Nodding his head, he recalled Charizard and Sceptile and after grabbing his bag, he climbed onto the bird Pokemon's back and Raichu climbed in front of Ash.

"Alright Pidge, let's get back to Pallet," he said. With that, Pidgeot's cry sounded out as it roared off the lone cliff and rocketed high up above the Orre desert before shooting into the horizon, carrying its master on his way to his old home.

**Viridian Forest, one hour from Pallet**

A group of about 20 Shadow Trainers were walking through the eastern edge of the forest that was between Pallet and Viridian (though the Viridian Forest is north of the City, the way I see it, there is a small part of the forest that goes just to the east of the town and down towards Pallet). Leading them was none other than Dakim from Team Cipher. He still looked much the same as he did years ago, but was now far angrier as he had been beaten by not one punk, but another kid had come along and defeated him once more when he tried to take over a town in Orre. Though he was beaten, he was far from through with the brat. After tracking down who he was, he discovered that the kid that had beaten him was from Pallet Town in Kanto. Thus Dakim decided to reek vengeance on this 'Ash' from Pallet Town by going after what Ash had cared most about, his friends and family.

He knew full well that Team Rocket had succeeded in one raid on Pallet 5 years prior, but he didn't care about the town itself, he was going after only a certain group of people. Catching word of a reunion with all his friends, he couldn't wait to exact revenge on his enemy, by making him suffer emotionally. If only he knew the kind of repercussions his actions would cause him, he might think twice on trying such an underhand technique. But at the moment, all he could think about was getting his hands on his enemy's loved ones.

"Sir, we are currently 30 minutes from Pallet Town," a soldier said to the large man.

"Good, good. Continue on this path, we still have 1 hour before we commence the operation. Remember, you can steal all the Pokemon you want, do what you want with any of the town, but leave those group of people to me," he ordered, holding a picture up of Ash's friends. "And if you see this girl, bring her to me. She might prove valuable in this operation," he said, holding a photo up of Dawn. In the years following Sinnoh, Dawn became one of the most successful and most respected Coordinators in the world, meaning Cipher could get quite the buck out of ransom for her.

"Damn boss, I'd love to have some fun with her," one of the grunt smiled sickly. Several others did as well, giving whistle calls as well.

Dakim smirked at this. "Maybe, if you play you're cards right and do the operation successfully, you'll get just that," he said. "Alright, LET'S MOVE!" he shouted, the others high-tailing it to their position outside of Pallet.

**Pallet Town, t-minus 45 minutes**

Misty Waterflower and her boyfriend Rudy Trovita were heading over to Prof. Gary's lab, where a large area of his Pokemon Reserve had been cordoned off for the reunion. She was happy, yet also sad at the same time, as well as angry at the thought of what today was, the 5th anniversary of when Team Rocket attacked Pallet Town. Rudy noticed this.

"Hey Mist, what's wrong?" he asked her.

"It's nothing…just that…" she said.

"I know, don't worry about it. If you're worried about Ash…" he replied.

Misty glared forward. "Like I care what happens to him anymore."

"Misty come on, you don't mean that. Look, it's not his fault, it's Team Rockets fault. How was Ash supposed to know or do anything to prevent them from doing what they did? I know people lost their lives that day, but it's not his fault, and you're not being fair by blaming him. Nobody is being fair to Ash."

Misty sighed as she held onto her boyfriend tightly. "I guess you're right…but it doesn't matter. Ash is gone, no one's seen him in 5 years…oh no."

Rudy looked at Misty weirdly, and then saw a raven-haired girl run off down the road toward the Ketchum residence. He cursed under his breath as Brock and his girlfriend walked up.

"She still hurting?" he asked sadly. Rudy turned and nodded glumly as Misty let go of him and headed toward where Dawn had went to. Janine also followed. Janine Fuchsia had been the leader of the Fuchsia City Gym after Koga retired. Brock had met Janine while traveling around Kanto 3 years following Pallet and they hit it off fairly well. Drew and May soon walked up and blinked at why everyone was looking so depressed.

"Hey, Rudy, Brock, what's going on?" May asked.

**Ketchum residence**

Dawn sat on the roof, hiding as she saw Misty and then Janine come looking for her. Though they were all fairly close friends, Dawn just wanted to be alone. Soon, both of them shrugged their shoulders and walked off. When they were out of earshot, Dawn broke down and sobbed, her tears falling onto the shingles. The teen Coordinator rocked herself back and forth as she attempted to calm herself down.

_Please Ash…please…just come back…I need you…I love you…_she thought amidst her sobs. After 20 minutes of crying, she dried her face and sat on the peak of the house, looking towards Gary's Lab. She could see there weren't throbs of people, but there were still quite a few. She knew that Misty and Rudy, Brock and Janine, Drew and May, May's Parents, her mom, Richie and Casey, Jimmy and Marina, Misty's sisters, Brock's family, all the Kanto Gym Leaders minus Viridian since they closed the Gym after Gary quit, several from Johto, and some people from as far away as Hoenn and even Sinnoh were coming. She didn't see the 4 Shadow Trainers sneak up behind the house and release their Pokemon. Suddenly, she was hit in the back of the neck and all went black.

**Airspace above Viridian City, t-minus 30 minutes**

Two flying type Pokemon were streaking across the sky at transonic flight as they made their way to Pallet. Both Pidgeot and Charizard could take up to Mach 3 speeds with no difficulty. Raichu was safe inside his Pokeball, while Ash was wearing a special helmet with a blast shield over his mouth and nose that also provided air so he wouldn't suffocate. They passed Viridian in a matter of 2 minutes and were now less than 30 minutes from Pallet. Anyone who looked up could see a Charizard and a Pidgeot flying at high speeds above the city, two separate sonic booms heard as they broke the sound barrier.

**Pallet Town**

The party had begun and a lot of familiar faces were there. Besides Misty, Brock, May, and their respective boyfriends/girlfriend, most of the Gym Leaders from Kanto and Johto, and several from the Orange Islands were there as well. Various trainers and some of the Elite Four also came. Lastly, Ash's Pokemon and everyone else's Pokemon were also there as well. Misty looked around, searching the crowd for a familiar face. May noticed this.

"Misty, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Dawn's not here, and I thought she would be," Misty replied.

"Well you can't really blame her, can you? I mean this day is a hurtful one for her," Brock spoke up.

"Oh it's just for her huh?" Gary grumbled.

"Gary stop, don't you DARE start a fight," Melody scolded.

Growling, Gary complied. Drew looked over toward the hill overlooking the ranch and noticed several dark figures making their way along the ridge. Before he could say anything, a gruff voice interrupted their train of thought.

"Well, look who it is," Paul said as he stepped forward.

"Paul, what are you doing here?" Misty asked.

"Whatever I want, just came to see if Dawn's ready to give up waiting for that loser to come back," he said.

"Ash isn't a loser, and what do you care about Dawn anyway?" Brock replied.

"Cause, I think someone with her looks should be with me," Paul said conceitedly.

Gary stepped forward. "Look pal, I don't know or care who you are, but you better just back off alright."

Paul stole a glance at the young professor. "Who the hell are you?"

"Name is Gary, and by the sound of it, you THINK you're Ash's rival."

"Think I am?" the rogue trainer spoke.

"You heard me."

"What do I care what he thinks of me?" Paul said as he turned around and walked away.

Gary glared after him, but before he could continue, a laugh filled the air, causing everyone to look for the cause of the disruption.

"Well, well, well, look at all the pathetic weaklings enjoying themselves on this fine day. Sorry, but it's time to end the festivities!"

With that, several explosions went off on the outskirts of where everything was going on. Pandemonium erupted as trainers started running this way and that, but were stopped short as 20 large Pokemon, made up tough, large Pokemon surrounded them, in addition to the trainers commanding them. Onix, Golem, Steelix, Nidoking, and other Pokemon growled as the rest of the Trainers backed up. They could see in plain sight the black aura emanating from the Shadow Pokemon. A large man with scars and spiked red hair landed from high up in front of the main group (Misty, Drew, May, Brock, etc.). He smiled evilly at them as he stepped forward.

"Well then, it's a pleasure to finally meet you brats," he said gruffly, tossing a black and gray Pokeball up and down. Gary got in front of the others, unafraid of this threat as fire erupted around the group. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Dakim, Shadow Pokemon Ground Squad, 5th Battalion," he said. Several wide eyes looked at the muscular man and gasps could be heard. "Now, surrender to Team Cipher and hand over you're Pokemon."

"And if we don't?" Gary questioned, glaring as several trainers got out their Pokeballs.

"Well, if you don't, then I'm afraid SHE won't be in much of a good condition anymore," he said, pointing his index finger upward to a helicopter hovering high overhead. What they saw made Misty, May and several other girls cover their mouths with their mouths and Gary, Brock and Drew grit their teeth in anger.

Dawn, the young successful Coordinator was being hung from the landing rail of the helicopter, badly beaten and injured. Cuts and bruises covered her face and she was clearly unconscious.

"Let her go, she's got nothi-UGH!" Gary spoke before being slammed into by Dakim's fist, getting knocked back. "Do as I say or SHE DIES!" he yelled. Melody ran over and helped Gary. "I'm ok Melody," he said, a trickle of blood coming out of the side of his mouth. Dakim towered over Gary, Melody burying her face in his shoulder as the young professor glared up at him. "Well boy, what are you going to do now?" Dakim laughed.

Just then, a blast of lighting knocked Dakim down onto his side. Gary looked at him in shock before turning to look at the direction it had come from. Two loud sonic booms could be heard as two black dots on the horizon quickly grew. As the flying types screamed overhead, everyone could make out the blurs to be a larger than average Charizard, and a Pidgeot with two figures on its back. As they passed by they quickly separated and circled around for another pass. Several of the Shadow Pokemon fired of Hyper Beams and Ice Beams to shoot down the two attackers, but they dove and ascended, easily dodging the attacks before climbing high above the crowd. The two figures leaped from the Pidgeot to Charizard and the bird Pokemon swerved to the rope holding Dawn. Dakim, angered by this interruption, bellowed into his radio.

"Soldier, cut that line holding the girl now!"

"NO!" Gary cried out, but it was too late. From a height of 10,000 feet, the crowd screamed in horror as they saw the girl suddenly drop like a rock toward the ground below. Noticing this, the Charizard's mouth glowed a white hot before letting of a super-heated blast of Flamethrower, causing the helicopter to explode into a ball of flame as its wreckage plummeted toward the girl. Charizard then swooped down and the trainer jumped onto Pidgeot and headed for the girl, while the smaller figure and the dragon headed toward the crowd, landing between Gary and Dakim, the smaller figure jumped off the Charizard's back and landed in front of Misty, it turning out to be a Raichu, it's cheeks sparking as it glared angrily at Dakim. The Shadow Trainer leader looked at the Raichu and his eyes shot wide open.

"You…no…it can't be…not again!" he looked in shock, the others confused.

"Boss, what's wrong?" one soldier spoke up.

"This Raichu…it's…it belongs to…HIM!" Dakim cried out. Everyone looked back up, sighing in relief as the other figure and Pidgeot, caught the falling girl and pulled up at the last minute as the flaming debris slammed into the ground. Braking in a clearing, the Pidgeot crowed loudly as it spread its wing and let it's trainer off. Carrying Dawn bridal style, he set her down and then untied her, brushing hair out of her face. The young girl's eyes opened slightly as she aroused from her unconscious state. Through the glare of the sun, she saw a young man with spiky black hair. But what got her attention were his brown eyes and his soothing, familiar voice.

"Dawn…are you alright?" he asked.

That voice…the voice I remember in my dreams…and my memories… 

At this her eyes shot open as she sat up, prompting her savior to turn around and face his opponents.

"Attacking my home…harming the love of my life…hurting my friends and family…now you've REALLY pissed me off Dakim," he spoke with a dark and menacing voice. Grabbing two more balls from his belt, he tossed them up. Emerging from the following light stood a Sceptile and a Feraligatr. At this, May and Brock gasped in shock. Misty also caught the hint as she looked on in awe. Drew and Janine turned to the two of them. "Guys, what's wrong?" Janine inquired. "Janine…it's him…it's…"

"ASH!" Dawn cried out. Everyone turned to her in amazement before looking back at the dark young man and spoke the same name.

"Ash?!"

"Yeah, that's right," he said. Before anyone could step forward, his last Pokeball opened on its own and a large Nidoking emerged, roaring in anger as it glowered down at the crowd that approached Ash. The young man turned his head and spoke to his self-imposed bodyguard. "King, that's enough," he said. Growling, he nodded in acknowledgement, but turned so he could still keep an eye on everyone that was there.

Brock, Misty and the others spoke to one another as the two trainers faced off. "When did Ash change so much?" "When did he catch a Nidoking?" When did Pikachu or Totodile evolve?" "Was Charizard always THAT big?" were just some of the questions that came up before a menacing roar filled the air. Charizard glared down at Dakim as he threw his into the air. A Shadow Entei emerged and roared back as the two combatants faced off. Dawn watched in awe as her love began a fight to defend the town he wasn't able to protect once before.

_I may have failed Pallet once…but it will NOT happen AGAIN!!! _Ash screamed in his head as Dakim made his move.

"Entei, TAKE HIM DOWN AND KILL THEM ALL!" he roared.

"Charizard, attack!" Ash ordered. Charizard flew forward as Entei roared once more. The fight for Pallet had begun.

Sorry to cut it off here, but I figured this was as good a place as any to end this chapter. R&R, thanks.


	3. Power of Love

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.

Smoke could be seen from almost any direction from Pallet Town as the sounds of a raging battle echoed throughout the area. Charizard flew up high above the battlefield as the Shadow Entei fired off several Overheats at the flying fire dragon. Easily dodging each one, he launched his own flamethrower attacks, hitting Entei with each one, weakening it severely. Dakim ground his teeth in frustration as Ash threw off his jacket, showing his black sleeveless turtleneck tight shirt, showing his tan, well-muscled arms.

"Alright Charizard, use Steel Wing!" he ordered.

With lightning speed, the dragon roared and raced toward the Shadow Pokemon. Dakim grinned at his opponent's mistake…or so he thought. "Entei, use Smokescreen!" Dakim screamed. Entei complied and opened its mouth, creating a shroud of smoke that covered the battlefield. The sounds of a clash could be heard, but Ash's features didn't falter one bit.

"Charizard, grab hold of Entei and Fly!" he shouted. Charizard shot out of the cloud of smoke, carrying the Legendary Pokemon. Dakim knew what was coming next. "NO! GET OUT OF THERE NOW YOU WORTHLESS FOOL!"

"Now, use Seismic Toss, but throw it without heading down!" Ash cried.

Doing it's trademark 'spin-around-the-world' move, Charizard then flipped Entei over its back and flung it as hard as it could, Entei crashing into the ground with tremendous force. However, as the smoke cleared and everyone could see once more, they were amazed at what they saw; Entei was on its feet, ready for more as it growled menacingly.

"Damnit, isn't there any kind of attack that can stop it?!" Misty shouted.

"I know, Ash. Use Overheat!" Brock yelled.

"Charizard knows Overheat? When did this happen?!" Gary exclaimed.

"It happened back in the Battle Frontier when Ash used Charizard to battle Articuno. He won with Overheat."

"Sorry Brocko but Charizard forgot how to use that move," Ash said without opening his eyes. The others looked at him dumbly.

"Then how are you going to win against a Legendary Pokemon!" Dawn shouted.

"Easy, watch and learn. Ok, now do it Charizard! USE BLAST BURN!" he screamed.

Everyone watched in shock and awe as Charizard began glowing and burst into flames as it turned and faced the ground. It opened its mouth as it began to glow with a brilliant white light. The crowd took this notice to step back and then run as Charizard finished charging it's ultimate attack.

"NOW FIRE!!!"

A tremendous roar went out from the dragon as white ball of flame shot out at high speed and impacted against Entei. An enormous explosion went up as the attack detonated right on target, causing damage within 10 miles of the blast. Ash dove ontop of Dawn and covered her from the attack as it blew everyone back. As the wind died down, Ash and Dawn got up and everyone else soon joined them. Before them, a huge column of smoke rose from where Charizard's attack hit Entei, the smoke turning into a mushroom cloud as it drifted off with the winds. As the dust settled, everyone was in utter awe at what they saw. Entei was badly injured, as was Dakim and the other members of Team Cipher.

Charizard roared as it landed, making the ground shake as it fell over, fainting from it's full power use of Blast Burn. Ash extended his arm and recalled the fire dragon.

"Good work Charizard, you did good."

Brock approached Ash but Dawn spoke first.

"Ash…thanks for covering me back there…Ash?" she asked.

Before anyone could say anything, Ash collapsed to the ground, blacking out.

Ash's Pokemon rushed over, as Dawn caught the young man.

"Ash! Are you ok? Say something!" she said as she shook him. Raichu landed next to him as Pidgeot landed. Looking him over, Raichu and Sceptile nodded to one another and took Ash from Dawn, Raichu looking her in the eye as she nodded. Without saying a word she got onto the bird Pokemon, holding Ash as Raichu watched them take off and head toward his old home. Raichu called to Sceptile, Feraligatr and Nidoking, all three of them nodding to their second-in-command. Raichu disappeared using Agility, as Sceptile jumped up and Feraligatr and Nidoking both used Dig. All of this took place right in front of Brock and the others.

"Did…I miss something?" he said. Turning to the others, they went about the business of helping the injured and rounding up the crooks that caused the fiasco.

**Ketchum residence, 9 P.M.**

Ash slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness. He looked to his right out the window, seeing that a full moon was now leaking it's dull light into the darkened room. The young trainer then noticed that there was a certain light presence on the bed. Turning to his left, he blinked in surprise as he saw the raven-haired Dawn sleeping. Here hand was holding his, Ash giving it a light squeeze as he lightly smiled at her. He then noticed that her cheeks were lightly damp. Sitting up he gently shook her shoulder.

"Hey, Dawn. Wake up sleepy head," he said to her.

She mumbled as she aroused from her sleep, sitting up and yawning before noticing the ebony haired young man sitting up in bed. Her eyes shot wide open.

"Ash! Are you alright?!" she said worriedly, checking him over.

"Uh, yeah Dawn. I'm alright, a little tired but I'm ok," he said to her.

Sitting back down, she then looked at him again as Ash watched her. Then with lightning speed, she growled and pulled him to his feet and slapped him across the face before grabbing him by his collar.

"Wha?! Dawn!" he said, feeling the sting of her slap and then feeling her grab his collar, but then looked at her in surprise and shock as she began to tear up while glowering at her.

"Don't you ever…ever…do that to me again!" she said before grabbing hold of him and sobbing hysterically into his chest, beating him with her fists as he watched her dumbly.

"You left me…all of us…for 5 years…5 damn years! Why?!" she cried.

Ash was silent as he put his arms around her and held her close, feeling her make his shirt wet with her tears. He stroked her back and ran a hand through her hair, smelling the sweet scent of her shampoo as he held her close.

"I'm sorry Dawn…I'm so sorry I did this to you…" he said softly.

"I waited for you…everyday…for even a hint of word about you…I wanted to be able to tell you that I-" she began before shutting her mouth, blushing as she buried her head in his shirt. Ash blinked dumbly at her statement.

"You wanted to tell me what?" he asked her.

Dawn looked up at him in the eyes, and her blush took Ash aback. Before he could say anything more, she locked lips with him, kissing him passionately while wrapping her elegant arms around his neck. Ash stared at her blankly with wide eyes for a second or two before closing his and wrapping his arms around her slender waist holding her close. When she pulled back, she started to tell him, but Ash put two fingers to her lips and kissed her forehead, whispering to her quietly.

"You don't have to say anything…I love you too Dawn."

As he said this, both of them noticed two lights outside. Looking out the window, they saw a shooting star streak across the nights sky and disappear over the horizon. They both made a wish before turning back to one another, Ash looking into her eyes as she spoke.

"Ash…please promise me…that you won't ever leave me again…please…" she pleaded.

He smiled as he cupped her chin and looked her in the eye. "I promise you Dawn. My wish is to stay here with you and for us to never be separated."

She blushed madly at this and kissed him again, Ash falling back on the bed as he pulled her shoes off and pulled the blankets over them, kissing her forehead once more. Then, while holding each other, they fell asleep in each other's arms in the moonlight. Raichu came to the door and checked on them, smiling lightly as he saw his master and his long time friend sleeping, going back out to the front and curling up on the couch, it too falling asleep. Outside, Sceptile kept an ever-vigilant eye on the property, making sure no one dared to come close to the house and disturb his master. However, Drew and May were secretly spying on the fully evolved Grass-type and turned to one another.

"You know what this means?" May said.

Drew sighed. "Duh May, it means that our AWOL trainer is finally home."

May glared at her boyfriend before grabbing his wrist and dragging him forcefully back to Gary's Lab.

"Come on, we need to tell everyone about this," she said. Drew struggled in her grasp.

"Hey! Le'ggo of my wrist! I can walk on my own! What am I, FIVE?!" he shouted.

Please R&R, you're input is greatly appreciated.


	4. Coffin of Memories

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.

The sun was above the distant hills surrounding Pallet when Dawn finally awoke. One of the first things she noticed when she awoke was that she was in Ash's arms, causing her to blush. Deciding it was best to wait a little longer, she put her arms around his body and held onto him tightly. Dawn felt like she was in heaven, the man she had dreamed about all those years ago, it was her friend Ash. Who would have thought that she and him would end up together?

I have to admit, while we were in the Sinnoh region, I was falling for him almost the minute I met him. But then…when his home was attacked…I'll never forget that day…

Flashback

Ash, Dawn, and Brock were walking through a forest in Sinnoh, on their way to Dawn's next contest. While Brock looked at the map, Ash was busy checking his Pokedex, unaware that Dawn was stealing glances at him every minute or so, slightly blushing at him.

He's so cute…waitaminute, what the?! Where did that come from! He's my friend! That's all we are!

Dawn stole yet another glance as he was fixated on his device.

…right?

"Hey Dawn?"

"WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!" she exclaimed without thinking.

Brock stared at her. "Uh…ok. I was just gonna ask if you wanted me to fill up your water bottle for you."

Dawn blushed in embarrassment as she took out her water bottle. "I'm really sorry Brock. Here, and thank you."

The older breeder looked at her oddly, then shrugged and headed through the brush to a nearby stream. Dawn sighed and turned to see Ash looking at her.

"Dawn, you ok?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm ok! Don't worry!"

Ash narrowed his eyes and shook his head, Pikachu following suit. "That's when I worry the most."

Dawn huffed and blushed slightly. "Whatever!"

Shrugging, Ash moved to pass her, but Dawn with her head down grabbed his arm, both of them facing different directions. "Wait Ash."

"Huh? What is it?" he asked.

"Um…it's just that…" she said, but was interrupted as Nurse Joy ran up to the two of them. "Nurse Joy? What are you doing way out here?"

"Are you Ash Ketchum?" she asked hurriedly. Ash nodded in reply before Nurse Joy spoke to him in a serious tone. "You must come with me, something serious has happened to your hometown." Brock popped up at this as Ash looked at her in worry. "What! What's wrong? What happened to Pallet!" What she said next went straight through all of them, as if a knife had cut through them. "It was attacked and half of the town is destroyed. A lot of people…are dead," she said as tears filled her eyes.

Brock looked at her in dumb shock, Dawn's hands flew to her mouth, but Ash had already taken off down the road, faster than he had ever ran in his entire life, more likely ever would. Even Pikachu had a tough time catching up with his trainer, the doors to the Pokemon Center being slammed open as Ash went to a TV.

_It has to be a dream. IT HAS TO!_

Overhead, the sky clouded up as it began to rain, the tears of the heavens falling freely for the tragedy that happened far away. In his room, Ash slammed his fists against the wall in anger, grief, and unimaginable pain. He saw those images, of the dead being carried away, the Prof. Lab destroyed and so many houses on fire. Grabbing his bag, he ran out the door in a flurry of tears, running past Brock and the others.

"Ash! Where are you going?" Brock shouted.

"Back home!"

"But you have no way of getting there!"

"I'LL FIND A WAY!" he screamed over his shoulder, before being faced with Dawn, tears cascading down her cheeks. "Get out of my way Dawn!" What he got, was a slap to the face. He staggered back a bit, looking at her in shock as she held a hand to her mouth. "Whoever did this…wants you back there right now…please! Don't go!" she cried, grabbing hold of him and sobbing into his shirt. "Please! PLEASE!"

Ash looked down at her, frozen in place. Though his head screamed for him to push her aside and run out into the storm, his heart was for some unknown reason to him, making him second-guess himself. After a few minutes, Ash put his arms around her, and switched places, collapsing to the ground as he broke down in her arms. Dawn ran a hand through his hair after knocking his hat off, rocking him back and forth as he cried hysterically. "Why…why did they do this…" Ash sobbed. "I don't know…" Dawn said through her tears. Brock looked away miserably, Pikachu's eyes were also teary as he went over to his trainer, hugging him as well. All of Ash's Pokemon, Aipom, Staravia, and Turtwig all came out of their Pokeballs and hugged their broken down master.

"I swear…" Ash's voice growled as his grief soon became mixed with a dark and menacing rage. "I swear, whoever did this…they will pay…dearly," he said. Unseen by all, but one, a small flicker of dark energy ran up Ash's body at high speeds. Though no one close by saw it, Brock did.

Careful Ash…don't let your anger take control…cause if you do, then something bad is going to happen…

The next day was clouded over and cold as they stepped outside and waited for their ride back to Pallet. Dawn had called her mom and told her what happened. She agreed without any hesitation, knowing that Ash needed someone to rely on in this point in his life. While she did said action, Brock had called Lisa and told her to bring Charizard to their location so they could get to Pallet very quickly. Ash only sat in the corner, brooding or sulking, it was hard to tell. Pikachu curled up in his trainer's lap, Ash glancing down with his blank stare and petting his old pal. He knew that he wasn't the only one in pain; Pikachu was as well, since it was his home too.

A familiar roar could be heard, causing Ash to get up and pick up his bag, heading out behind Dawn. The coordinator shivered, but even in his current emotional state, Ash took of his jacket and gave it to Dawn, putting it on her. "Thank you very…much?" she thanked the trainer as he walked over to Charizard. The two locked eyes and Charizard knew what Ash was planning from that moment.

Find who did it…and make them pay.

While Brock and Lisa rode together in the balloon pulled by Charla, Ash and Dawn rode together, Dawn holding onto Ash with her arms around his midsection. Ash took note of this, getting a slight bit of a blush on his face, but one that Dawn could not see. It took them several days before getting back home, but they circled around the town, the group, not even Charizard was prepared for what greeted them. Nearly ever house was damaged, huge blast craters and debris littered the entire town. Prof. Oak's Lab, or what was left of it, was blown to bits, and the Pokemon were either gone, or injured. Or worse. Dawn hid her face on Ash's back, sobbing as Ash stared down, but not one of grief. One of determination and one of need…for vengeance. When they landed, they didn't get quite the greeting they had anticipated.

Gary Oak could see the Charizard circling the town for at least 20 minutes before it landed. Using his Arcanine, he raced over to where his old rival had landed. He stormed over to Ash as he came over to him. Gary reared back and slammed his fist into Ash's face, sending him to the ground. Dawn and Brock gasped in shock as they jumped off and ran over to him, but Ash got up on his feet shakily.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Gary shouted.

"This is my ho-" Ash started before being knocked back again.

"DON'T. YOU. DARE SAY IT'S YOUR HOME!" Gary screamed. It was at this time, that Ash saw for the first time what had happened. Not only was Gary there, but Misty too; May, Drew, the list could go on for ages. May headed over to intervene, but Drew put his arm out to stop her, shaking his head at her.

Gary, bandaged but filled with unspeakable rage, grabbed Ash by his collar and pulled him up. "Where the hell were you when they attacked? Do you know WHY they attacked?! BECAUSE THEY KNEW THIS WAS YOUR HOME AND YOU WEREN'T HERE TO PROTECT IT!" Gary screamed in his face. The words were beginning to sink in as Ash spoke up quietly.

"I'm…sorry…" he said as tears spilled out of his eyes. Gary roared with anger as he reared his fist back. "HOW DARE YOU!"

His fist never made contact, Brock had caught it. He knocked the two from one another and slammed his fist into Gary's gut, then another into his face, making him fall over. The crowd stared as Brock stood there in anger, sided by Dawn. "Shut up Gary, you don't know anything. Ash would have been here if he could have, but how was he supposed to know this would happen! How can you treat him this way, how was he supposed to do anything!"

Gary looked up as tears spilled from his eyes as well. "My grandfather…is dead…"

Ash's eyes opened in utter shock, Brock was taken aback, and Dawn gasped. "So is Tracey…" a feminine voice spoke.

Misty stepped forward, looking darkly at Ash. "You're mom…she's gone too."

It seemed as time stood still as Ash turned to her in shock. "What…did…you…say…"

"If you had just beaten them from the very beginning Ash…then she'd still be alive!" Misty screamed.

"ITS ALL YOUR FAULT! MY GRANDPAS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU! DAMN YOU ASH!!!" Gary cried.

The crowd of people moved toward Ash, but May stood in their way. "STOP IT!" she screamed.

Charizard and Pikachu both roared with rage, but were stopped as Ash stood up. They watched as Ash turned and walked slowly, solemnly back to his still-standing house. Dawn's eyes filled with tears of rage as she stormed over to Misty and slammed her fist into Misty's face, sending her onto the ground. She turned and headed for Ash, before turning back with a glare that could kill, backed by Charizard and Pikachu. Then, all of them, along with Lisa and Charla, followed Ash as he headed toward his home, where his mother's body was being kept.

End flashback

Later on, we'd find out it was Team Rocket that had done the actual dirty work. But Giovanni would reveal a further truth, that it was someone far away that had masterminded the whole deal. And then…then you left me. Just as we were finding love, you leave me hanging. I should have just given up on you, but I didn't. I didn't because I loved you too much to just let you go. I'm sorry…I'm sorry…

"I'm so sorry…" she said as she threatened to breakdown yet again.

"What are you sorry for?" her love said suddenly.

Dawn yelped in surprise, jumping out of bed in shock as Ash yawned, and sat up, eyes still full of sleep.

"Well?"

"Um…it's nothing, really Ash. Just…uh…sorry I haven't taken a shower yet! Bye!" she said as she grabbed her things and ran out the door, a second later the bathroom door could be heard closing. Ash blinked after her before stretching and cursing at his luck and her laziness. "Damn…now I can't get into the shower yet…oh well…" he said as he collapsed back onto the bed, falling asleep with a snore.

Sometime later, he woke up for real and got out of bed, scratching his head as he grabbed a few essentials and heading down the hall to the bathroom. He passed Dawn on his way, who was wearing her usual outfit. After closing the door, he stripped down and got into the shower and turned the water on. After getting himself clean, he put a hand against the wall and leaned against it, holding himself up as he sat in thought.

I am sorry I left Dawn…I'm sorry I made you wait so long for me…but I promise…I won't leave you like that ever again…

Outside the residence, a group of people made there way up to the Ketchum house. The doorbell rang and Dawn answered it. "Huh? Guys! What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed, but Brock pushed her aside and they entered. "Uh, don't you think you guys should ask-" but was stopped as they all glared at her. "Where is he?" May asked menacingly. Dawn frowned and Sceptile and Feraligatr barred the way upstairs. "He's in the showers, you guys can wait if you'd like?" "We'll wait right here," Misty said, cracking her knuckles as Dawn ran upstairs.

Dawn burst through the bathroom door as Ash was drying off his hair, fully dressed I might add. "Ash, a bunch of you're old 'friends' are here, and it looks like they're looking for trouble," she said. "Good, let them look. Cause if they came to see me be intimidated, they're going to be damn sorry about pissing me off." Dawn backed up a bit at his dark tone, now a bit frightened as he made his way past her. As he descended, the group which consisted of Brock, Janine, Misty, Rudy, May, Drew, Gary, and Melody glared at him, but his glare was one of sadness, regret, but also one of unspeakable and unimaginable rage, making a few back up. May surprised all of them by going up to Ash, and hugging him, a few tears leaking out of her eyes.

"Don't do that again, ok? You made us all think you were dead!" she said quietly. Ash was taken aback, expecting full hostility. "But I thought…I thought you didn't want me around?" he said in shock.

"We were just upset and angry, that's all. I am truly sorry about what I said Ash…all those years ago, I'm sorry," Misty said as she went up and hugged him. The others thanked him, before Ash went up to Gary. Both of them stared before Melody growled at her boyfriend. "Gary…"

Grumbling, Gary sighed and looked at Ash. "Look…I'm sorry I blamed you all those years ago. I was just really screwed up from losing my grandpa to…you know. So…I'm sorry." Ash nodded his head to him. "So…are we cool?" Gary asked boredly. His answer was a fist that knocked him out. Ash cracked his knuckles and grinned slightly. "Yeah, were cool." Dawn put her arms around him from behind as they dragged Gary inside and put him on the couch.

From far away, a man clad in black clothing turned to his superior. "Sir, it appears our main target for the attack 5 years ago has returned to Pallet, just as you predicted he would."

"Yes, those fools from Cipher are so predictable at sending their fools in where they don't belong. I'd have had them wiped out myself if it hadn't been for the thought of luring young Ash Ketchum back home," a gruff, yet sophisticated voice spoke. "So, shall we make our move now?"

"Not yet, first we need both parties for our face off. A certain rogue trainer from Orre should be all we need for that," he said with a sick grin as he looked at a picture of a sandy-haired teen in black clothing, save a navy trench coat, riding on a one-wheeled speedster with his red-headed female companion in the passenger seat.

**Orre, South Border region**

As he was leaning against the side of his custom speedster, Wes Seumcol sighed in boredom as he glanced over at his female companion. She wore a pink sleeveless tube top, white mini-skirt, a blue and pink striped jacket and pink knee boots. Rui Crysala was behind a bush, doing her business. They were in the southern most part of Orre, where there was scattered flora here and there. Wes had decided to explore into parts of Kanto, realizing that sooner or later Rui would want to be him forever, if she hadn't already. Then she'd want a house, then a ring, then kids…

He shook his head to free the horrifying thoughts as they entered his head. "Are you done yet?" he asked in frustration. "Just a minute!" she said. Wes tapped his booted foot on the ground, as he grew more and more frustrated, before Rui emerged from behind the bush. "Ok! I'm ready!" she said as she climbed into the passenger seat. "Took ya long enough," he grumbled. Rui glared at him. "What was that!" she said, but Wes gunned the engine as it roared to life.

"WHAT? I CANT HEAR YOU, SPEAK UP!" he shouted over the engine. Rui screamed in his ear. "WESLEY SEUMCOL, YOU ARE-" she started, being flung back in her seat as Wes took off, throwing her off to keep her from arguing anymore. "DAMN YOU WES!" she shouted, Wes grinning at her as they sped down the dusty road, heading further into Kanto.

R&R please, thanks


	5. A New Challenge

SS30: I know its been awhile since I last updated, but there's been a lot of stuff been going on in my life that had to come first. For the most part, I wasn't up for updating for awhile, so I waited until it came back to me. Which it did, so everyone be thankful. I hope to update soon sometime after this one as well. Anyway, enjoy.

Disclaimer: The ONLY thing that is mine is the plot. That's it, nothing more.

Several months had passed since Ash's return to Pallet after 5 years of absence. However, he hadn't spoken to very many people since then, other than his Pokemon, Dawn, Brock, and a few others that he once traveled with. He and Gary were still at ends with one another over what happened, and he had a new problem to deal with; Paul. It seemed like the guy would try to make a move on Dawn at least once a week, more than once Paul ended up in the hospital. No one wanted him around, as they knew the kind of guy he was and just how he would treat her. However, Dawn was with Ash now so there was no persuading him. It was a cold afternoon in December, heading towards Christmas. Paul was nursing a throbbing cheek as he limped back to his housing.

"Damn that Ash, one of these days he's going to get overconfident, and then Dawn will be mine!" he shouted.

At this time, the loud roar of an engine could be heard and a strange looking speeder pulled up. At the helm was a young man with sand-blonde hair and in the seat next to it, a young woman with orange hair.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for an Ash Ketchum, you know where he might be? I heard he's supposed to live around here, but I'm new to the area," he asked monotonely.

Paul thought for a minute, thinking about how best he could get back at Ash somehow. Sighing, as he couldn't come up with any, he just pointed in the direction he came from. Raising an eyebrow at him, Wes shrugged and got back in the speeder and took off down the road. Paul watched as the vehicle disappeared down the road, wondering just what the deal was. Deciding that if he ever wanted to win against him, he had to go all out, no holds barred. Paul restarted back toward where Ash was, coming up with a plan as he went.

Meanwhile, Ash and Dawn were busy taking care of their Pokemon, though that wasn't hard for Ash as his were fairly independent and needed little attention. Ash had taken off his coat and his sword was in its sheath next to him, leaning against the tree they were under.

"Ash…you think we'll always be together," Dawn said while brushing Prinplup's feathers. The said trainer turned toward her, looking at her.

"What kind of a question is that? Don't you remember that day many years ago?" he said to her.

Dawn thought for a moment, recalling after her failure to qualify for the Hearthome's finals. She nodded slowly.

Flashback

Dawn sat on the balcony of the Pokemon Center the night following the Hearthome City Contest. Zoey had gone off to bed, leaving Dawn alone to her thoughts.

"_Hey, you ok?" Ash asked as he walked out to join his female traveling companion._

_She nodded, drying some tears that had leaked out of her eyes without her knowing. Ash sighed as he walked over and leaned his back against the railing._

"_Listen Dawn, I'm going to tell you something I don't tell very many people, as it's hard enough to think about it. Back when I was just starting out, I had to go through a bunch of losses. Sure I made it into the Pokemon League, but I only made it to the top 16, mostly cause Charizard wouldn't listen to me back then. But that too was partly my fault, as I didn't train hard enough and I got too confident in myself. After that I battled on through the Johto league, but even then I only made it to the top 8. The same with the Hoenn League. I may have had my share of wins, but I had losses to go along with them. But the thing is, even though I got discouraged, I always held myself together even when I felt like despairing. That's cause I had people and Pokemon to help me through those times. Just remember, I'm always gonna be there to help you Dawn, whatever it takes I'll do what I can to help you through whatever you're going through. You're my friend Dawn…and I really do care about you."_

_Dawn was taken aback by Ash's talk. She had no idea that he felt that way, and that even though he had gotten stronger as a trainer, he still had a long ways to go before being the best. She started to think that she was probably going to have her work cut out for her the same as he did, even if hers wasn't as obstacle filled._

"_Wow Ash…I…I had no idea…" she said quietly. Ash smiled at her._

"_Well yeah, cause I just told you," he said absentmindedly. Dawn sweatdropped at his statement._

"_Uhh…duh Ash. I was just saying that…I didn't know that things were so hard. I mean I'm in contests, and yeah they're tough, but what you're aiming for…man I can't even begin to imagine what you'll have to do in order to attain your goals," she replied._

_Ash shrugged at this. "No big deal. I've been on this road for some time now, and there's no way I'm giving up now. Let's make a promise to do what we can for each other, that way were not alone in attaining our goals. Even if we think it's just us, let's remember we have at least one person that's always there for each other," Ash said as he turned toward her, holding his hand out to Dawn._

_The younger trainer looked at him a bit oddly, before smiling and taking his hand, shaking it._

"_Yeah! We'll always be together, right Ash?"_

"_Sure we will Dawn."_

End Flashback

"You said we'd always be together…" she said while looking down.

Ash looked at her and sighed. Dawn was still upset about him being gone for 5 years, though he couldn't exactly blame her. He had up and left, not having said a word to her at all in those 5 years, and then out of the blue he shows up again. He could only imagine what kind of inner turmoil she was in right now. The trainer sat up and pulled her close to him, stroking her hair lightly.

"Let's forget about what happened, and focused on right now. I'm here now and that's all that matters," he said softly to her.

She nodded slowly, holding onto him tightly as if he might disappear as suddenly as he had before.

"Just…don't leave me like that…ever again," she whispered.

"I promise, the next time I leave like that, I won't leave you behind," Ash replied.

She looked up and moved closer to him, their lips inches apart. Suddenly, Raichu sat up, sparks shooting from his cheeks as he stared down the road. A cloud of dust could be seen, followed by the roar of a loud engine. The two teens, sat up and looked as an unordinary speedster pulled up to the bottom of the hill they were on. Ash looked and grinned as he spotted a familiar face.

"Hey Wes!" he called as he jumped up and ran down the hill, Raichu following close behind.

The said teen smiled slightly as he hopped off the seat, helping Rui out. Ash and Wes met, clasping their same hands together and patting each other on the back.

"Hey, long time no see. Been like 2 years right?" Wes asked.

"More like 2 ½, but who's counting?" Ash replied, both laughing at this. Rui smiled as Ash noticed her at last. "Rui! I'm sorry, I completely missed you there!" Ash exclaimed, going over and giving her a hug. "Yes Ash, I'm here alright. It has been awhile. Hello Raichu!" Rui said as she squatted down and rubbed the mouse's head. Raichu purred as it smiled affectionately.

"Dude, what brings you all the way out here. I thought you and Rui were going to Sinnoh or something," Ash asked.

"We were, but we got caught up by some old friends," Wes said.

"I take it Cipher and Snagem are those old friends?" he asked.

"That, and Team Rocket. I've gotten word from my pal Michael that Team Magma, Aqua, and Galactic are in on it too, though Cipher seems to be the head of it all, along with Rocket," Wes informed. "We would have been here sooner…but we had to make a stop somewhere," Wes said as Rui turned away and started walking toward Ash's house.

Ash had a feeling he knew what it was, but said nothing. "Go ahead and take your bike to my house, I'll meet you guys there in a few minutes."

As Wes headed down the road, picking up Rui along the way, Dawn made it to the bottom of the hill, glaring at Ash.

"Thanks for waiting for me…something wrong?" she asked as Ash stared after the two travelers. Dawn followed his gaze and looked back at Ash. "Who were they?"

"I'll explain back at the house, come on," Ash said while heading in their direction. Ash and Dawn recalled their Pokemon, Prinplup bringing Ash his coat and sword, which he took from the penguin Pokemon without saying a word. Raichu jumped on Ash's shoulder while Dawn followed quietly behind, feeling a bit of tension from Ash.

After having got everyone settled with some drinks and food, Espeon, Umbreon, Prinplup, and Raichu went outside to explore and relax while Rui watched from under a tree. Inside in the main room, Ash and Dawn sat on the sofa while Wes sat in nearby chair, one leg resting on the other.

"Ash, you know that Rui's mother…" Wes started.

"Wait a minute, could we start from the beginning Wes?" Ash suggested, pointing his thumb toward Dawn, who waved sheepishly.

"Oh! Right, sorry about that. Anyway, where should I begin?" Wes said while thinking back to a time of 3 years back.

Meanwhile, Paul had followed all of them to Ash's house, noticing the girl he saw earlier, he began to think darkly, as he rummaged through his bag, looking for something he had picked up long ago and had forgotten about over the years.

So Wes, Rui and Ash know one another, but what happened that had them all meet? What kind of past do they all hold together? And what could have happened that has Rui in such a depressed mood, that she doesn't even want to be seen right now? You'll have to wait until next time to find out.

_Next chapter: Explanation of the Truth_


End file.
